Brain Awareness Week is here! Well, it has been here since Monday, but I have been so busy I have not had a chance to share a quick post to let you all know we are running an amazing offer on our BrainBuilder® brain fitness program at www.advancedbrain.com.

I want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential and certainly hope that $70 off on BrainBuilder will get you on your way!

Advanced Brain Technologies featured in T

This annual report profiles the top 20 companies in the brain fitness software market.  Despite being one of the first movers in the brain fitness market with the introduction of the original BrainBuilder® software program in 1999 Advanced Brain Technologies is grouped in the “Wait and See” category in terms of  market position. This is due to our focus not being exclusively brain fitness software.

As a market leader in music-based intervention we are diversified beyond software unlike the other leading companies in the report which offer strictly software based solutions for assessment and improvement of cognitive functions.  

With new research and developments in market sectors including; consumer, healthcare, K-12, corporate, and military, our market position will be shifting significantly in the next 12 to 24 months.

Report Highlights

1) Growth market: Consumers, seniors’ communities and insurance providers drove year on year sustained growth, from $225m in 2007 to $265m in 2008. Revenues may reach between $1 billion to $5 billion by 2015, depending on how important problems (Public Awareness, Navigating Claims, Research, Health Culture, Lack of Assessment) are addressed.

2) Increased interest and confusion: 61% of respondents Strongly Agree with the statement “Addressing cognitive and brain health should be a healthcare priority.” But, 65% Agree/Strongly Agree “I don’t really know what to expect from products making brain claims.”

3) Investment in R&D seeds future growth: Landmark investments by insurance providers and government-funded research institutes testing new brain fitness applications planted new seeds for future growth.

4) Becoming standard in residential facilities: Over 700 residential facilities – mostly Independent and Assisted Living facilities and CCRCs – have installed computerized cognitive training programs.

5) Customer satisfaction: Consumers seem more satisfied with computer-based products than paper-based options. But, satisfaction differs by product. When asked “I got real value for my money”, results were as follows: Lumosity.com (65% Agree), Puzzle Books (60%), Posit Science (52%), Nintendo (51%) agreed. Posit Science (53% Agree) and Lumosity.com (51%) do better than Puzzle Books (39%) and Nintendo (38%) at “I have seen the results I wanted.”

6) Assessments: Increasing adoption of computer-based cognitive assessments to baseline and track cognitive functions over time in military, sports, and clinical contexts. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America now advocates for widespread cognitive screenings after 65-75.

7) Specific computerized cognitive training and videogames have been shown to improve brain functions, but the key questions are, “Which ones”, and “Who needs what when?”

8) Aggressive marketing claims are creating confusion and skepticism, resulting in a distracting controversy between two misleading extremes: (a) “buying product XYZ can rejuvenate your brain Y years” or (b) “those products don’t work; just do one more crossword puzzle.” The upcoming book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness aims to help consumers navigate these claims.

9) Developers can be classified into four groups, based on our Market and Research Momentum analysis: we find 4 Leaders, 8 High Potentials, 3 Crosswords 2.0, and 6 Wait & See companies.

10) Increased differentiation: Leading companies are better defining their value proposition and distribution channels to reach specific segments such as retirement communities, schools, or healthcare providers.

Order a copy of the report at www.sharpbrains.com.

YOUR BRAIN IS GROWING! Brain plasticity (the brain’s ability to change itself) is a concept that was not totally accepted until the last couple of decades, although early brain development pioneers including neurosurgeons Temple Fay, M.D.;  Eugene Spitz, M.D.; and physciatrist Robert J. Doman, M.D., knew this was possible dating back to the mid twentieth century. Now it’s commonly accepted in the scientific community that the brain grows new connections through dendritic growth and synaptic propagation.

A more recent theory in neuroscience and neurobiology is Adult Neurogenesis (birth of neurons) in which new neurons are created. There was a long-held belief that adult neurogenesis didn’t occur, but that precept is changing. In fact adult neurogenesis does appear to be a reality and is thought to promote neuroplasticity. Further research shows that new adult neurons may help us learn complex tasks, and flourish when challenged.   

Scientific American published an in depth article How to Save New Brain Cells in the March 2009 Issue that delves into the science that provides support for the benefits of engaging in mentally stimulating tasks.  The author is Tracey J. Shors, a professor in the department of psychology and the Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers University.

The article opens up the possibility that exercising your mind with brain fitness programs, BrainBuilder® is one such program, may have a real basis in neurobiology. 

Read Article http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=saving-new-brain-cells

March 16-22 is Brain Awareness Week.  

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international campaign dedicated to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. Founded and coordinated by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and its sister organization, the European Dana Alliance for the Brain, BAW is now entering its fourteenth year as a catalyst for public understanding of brain science. The Dana Alliances are joined in the campaign by partners from around the world, including universities, hospitals, patient groups, government agencies, schools, service organizations, and professional associations. 

Advanced Brain Technologies is a proud campaign partner and is offering a $50 discount on BrainBuilder® to encourage brain fitness for everyone!

For information on this limited time offer please visit http://www.abtmedia.com.

To learn more about Brain Awareness Week visit the Official Web Site of the International Brain Awareness Week Campaign  http://www.dana.org/brainweek/

The very clever and always entertaining Tori Deaux of MindTweaks.com fame has just written her review of our brain fitness program BrainBuilder®.  

Who says blind dates don’t work! Read Tori’s review: http://www.mindtweaks.com/wordpress/?p=1125

That’s the concern that’s fueling a worldwide boom in brain fitness that shows few signs of slowing.

This is a great article discussing the dizzying pace in the growth of  brain training games with worldwide revenue at $850 million last year.  Very happy to see that our site www.brainbuilder.com is mentioned!   

Read the full article  http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/11/brain.training/

Interested in trying BrainBuilder? Please visit  http://www.abtmedia.com/products_bb.asp

The concept of brain fitness has made its way into popular culture and one day will reach a tipping point. When this happens will the awareness be like our understanding of good diet and physical exercise? Meaning, we know we should  exercise regularly and eat healthy foods, but we do not necessarily do what we know is good for us. Will diminshed memory, poor attention and worries about dementia motivate us more than a bulging waist line?

To listen to the replay of today’s teleseminar http://tinyurl.com/4amuad